International support for President Aoun's initiative at the United Nations

UN support for academy a big vote of confidence in Lebanon, says President Aoun

16/9/2019

(Translation appears in Arabic section)

The UN General Assembly in New York voted in favour of Lebanese President Michel Aoun’s draft resolution to establish the Academy for Human Encounters and Dialogue in Lebanon. The draft resolution received 165 votes while the United States and Israel voted against it. The draft resolution was co-sponsored by 178 countries before being put to the vote. It has been adopted by the Non-Aligned Group and the Asia-Pacific Group, which Lebanon is part of, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had expressed the UN support for the proposal.

PRESIDENT of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, welcomed the decision of the UN General Assembly to support his proposal to establish "Human Academy for Dialogue and Convergence."

He considered that the UN General Assembly's vote in favour of his draft resolution to establish the Human Academy shall give further impetus to Lebanon to move forward in the realization of this initiative, which contributes to the establishment of the language of dialogue and the renunciation of violence and extremism.

"…The establishment of the Academy will place Lebanon in a leading position for dialogue among cultures and religions and the dissemination of rapprochement" President Michel Aoun

Aoun thanked all the countries that supported the draft resolution and voted in its favour, stressing that the establishment of the Academy will place Lebanon in a leading position for dialogue among cultures and religions and the dissemination of the message of rapprochement and communication amongst peoples.

The Head of State also stressed the continuation of co-operation with brotherly and friendly countries in order to generalize the culture of dialogue and knowledge of the other, especially at the level of youth in line with the Charter of the United Nations and its objectives.

Ministerial statement

In the wake of the UN’s adoption of the draft resolution, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants issued the following statement:

“On 16/9/2019, the U.N. General Assembly adopted by 165 votes a resolution which welcomed an initiative by His Excellency, President Michel Aoun, to establish the Academy for Human Encounters and Dialogue in Lebanon. The target of this academy is to strengthen preventive diplomacy in a bid to mitigate and halt conflicts and to combat extremism.

The establishment of the Academy in Lebanon, as an international organization for convergence and dialogue, establishes an international path based on permanent dialogue to promote the spirit of coexistence and acceptance of the other in our diverse world, thereby consolidating peace and security.

This honourable outcome was achieved as a result of relentless efforts exerted by the Lebanese diplomacy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants in Lebanon and embassies abroad, urging various countries and political groups to support this initiative in order to establish the Academy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants thanks all the 165 countries that voted in favour of Lebanon and renewed their confidence in this country.”